


Do You Know The Baker's Girl?

by chopperdonarbeiten



Category: Life Is Strange (Video Game)
Genre: AU sort of, Baker is an OC, Multi, Only like two ocs at most
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-07-12
Updated: 2017-02-20
Packaged: 2018-04-09 01:13:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 16,049
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4328148
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chopperdonarbeiten/pseuds/chopperdonarbeiten
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Arcadia Bay is a small town. Familiarity is the name of the game in Arcadia Bay. It keeps the locals comfortable, but a little dull. That's what made the girl standing at the counter of the local bakery a new twist to the town.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Welcome to Arcadia Bay

**Author's Note:**

> (AN: So yeah, this is my first story I’m actually publishing anywhere. Just wanted to share this idea I had in my mind. I just wondered “What if Max worked in a bakery?” and, well, this is it. Think of this as an attempt to put a smile on your face before episode 4. Original draft finished 6/28/15)

Arcadia Bay is a small town. Small shops line the roads of the main town with amenities at generous prices. A private school lies just a few miles out of town and a lighthouse about the same distance away. The beach ain't like Cali, but it's still nothing to sneeze at. The people know and act orderly around each other. Familiarity is the name of the game in Arcadia Bay. It keeps the locals comfortable, but a little dull. Nothing out here but familiar faces, familiar stores, etcetera.

That's what made the girl standing at the counter of the local bakery a new twist to the town. 

...

The bakery seemed more like a prison cell. The lone figure at the counter stood vigilant to satisfy the customer's cravings, or to act as a middle man between them and the food they want. However, the girl at the counter wasn't truly alone. She had the actual baker making the fresh products for the hungry masses. There was also the hi-fi that played the baker's CDs, though it didn't fit the atmosphere of the store. Bakeries were usually quiet, quaint places where people buy cute food for their sweethearts. The bling-bling, swag rap that blasted on the hi-fi wasn't adding to it, to say the least. As tempting as it was, being on the far side of the counter from the girl, she dare not touch the volume. She just got the job and didn't want to mess it up already. She wanted to make a good impression on the boss that she was dedicated to her work, not some slacker who needed easy money. But the loud cussing was thinning her resolve.

"Hey, you can lower or even change it, you know? I'm just too lazy to change it." The baker said from the kitchen. Relieved, the girl dashed to the hi-fi and stopped the music. As she opened the tray, she saw the CD the baker was playing.

"A$AP... Ferg?" She read out loud. The baker walked over to see the girl examine the CD. He smirked.

"What you got against the motherfucker? He's a fucking poet. Y'all just got to open your eyes." He told her, trying not to crack a smile. She couldn't help but smile at hearing her co-worker praise the "poet".

"I don't have anything against the music. I respect your choices as I expect other to respect mine." She looked up at the baker. He had a goofy smile on and gave her a nod.

"Damn, I was expecting you to shit on my music. However, I will shit on yours. I think I know what your kind listen to." He said with a chuckle. The girl raised her eyebrow. Leaning back into the counter, she asked him.

"What do mean, 'your kind'?" The baker's smile got even goofier. Narrowing his eyes, he could tell he was confident in his prediction.

"I saw you yesterday when you came for the job. It's very easy to spot hipsters, especially out here. It's practically a fucking sport." He said.

"Plug in your phone, and put it on shuffle. I dare you to prove me wrong." He challenged, a smirk lining his face. She accepted and walked over to the hi-fi. Plugging in her phone, she prayed that the more popular music she had would play first. Pressing the shuffle button, she thanked God in advance.

The ringing of an acoustic guitar jamming out chords followed by synths told both of them it was not mainstream. She heard the baker cheer himself for guessing right.

"Ha, I knew it!" He said, walking up to her. Her face was going red with the embarrassing defeat at something that could have been averted. The baker pat her back, chuckling a bit.

"Don't worry. I'm just fucking with you. Trying to break the ice so you won't feel intimidated coming to work. I hope you do good." He said, before ruffling her hair. She smiled, feeling welcome. They both went to their posts.

"Oh, and you might want to play some more obscure stuff. I don't think Guster will help attract more hipsters here." He teased the girl. Just before she could reply, she heard the door open and saw the first customer of the day. A blonde girl strutted over to the counter, looking surprised. She could be a model with her looks.

"Hi, how may I help you?" The girl asked the blonde. The customer snapped back to the girl at the counter.

"Where's Terry?" She asked with an awkward smile on her face.

"She had to quit. College and the sort." The baker called out from the kitchen. The blonde then looked sad.

"Aw. Damn. She was cute, too." The blonde said, pouting like a little kid. That ended quickly, however.

"Not that you're not cute. In fact, you might be cuter than Terry." She told the girl. The girl blushed. The blonde chuckled awkwardly before she returned to her original purpose.

"I'd like one plain croissant and a blueberry muffin, pretty please?" The blonde asked, hands clasped together and eyes batting. The new girl blushed harder. She didn't deserve this. She was just a regular girl trying to make it in this strange thing we call life. A whistle brought her out of her trance. Looking back, the baker had a stern look at the customer.

"Hey, quit seducing my coworker. That's my job." The baker said. As soon as he said it, he flexed his arm to show off some well-developed muscles. The girl was surprised to say the least. She liked the display of how toned the human body could be, but she looked back to the customer, who happened to be posing like a model getting photographed. She looked back and forth between her coworker and her customer, taking stereotypical poses expected by men and women to get her attention.

While they continued to measure their metaphorical dicks, the new girl went to clear her mind at the site by looking for what the blonde ordered. Successful, she brought them out of the display case and rung the bell on the counter. Bringing them back to reality, the blonde came back to the counter to pay while the baker went back in the kitchen.

"$6.50, ma'am." The girl said. The blonde took out a $10.

"Keep the change." The blonde said with a wink. As she grabbed the bag and turned around, the new girl could see the blonde sway her hips. As she focused on the blonde's hips, a whistle got her attention. Looking up, the blonde was looking back at her as she swayed. She brought her free hand up to her ear, extended her pinky and thumb, and mouthed "call me" as she left. The girl nodded. As she opened the register, she looked down at the ten. A folded note was on the counter. Picking it up, she saw a phone number scribbled on it. She stuffed it in her pocket. Just then, she felt a pat on the back.

"Hey, you got a girl's number. If only it were that easy. Nice job, kid." The baker said. As he walked back, the new girl felt elated. Her first sale went smoothly, and she got someone's number. Things couldn't get any better.

"Hey, freckles! Can you change the song? It's been on repeat for, like, forever." The baker said, bringing her back to reality.

"'Freckles? I have a name, you know." The girl said, moving to the hi-fi. The baker emerged from the kitchen to lean on the counter.

"Come on. If we're going to work together, at least let me give you a nickname." He said. The girl turned around and leaned back.

"I don't even know your name. We haven't introduced ourselves formally." She informed him. The baker cursed under his breath.

"You're right. Well, I'm Clyde. Nice to meet you." The baker said, extending a hand to shake. The girl returned the gesture.

"Max. Pleasure to meet you." She said. They both smiled.

"Welcome to Arcadia Bay, Max." Clyde said.

...

"Yo bro, what's up?" The blonde looked up to see her friend. She had just devoured her muffin as crumbs occupied around her mouth.

"Oh, it's nothing, Chloe." She said, looking off dreamily in the distance. She heard Chloe scoff.

"Come on, Rachel. Something's got you occupied, and I'm afraid it's not me." Chloe said, scooting over to meet Rachel with a hug. Rachel's smile widened.

"Well, I did meet a cute face at the bakery. She took over Terry's place and I'm not complaining." Rachel told her. She heard a gasp.

"Terry left? This girl better be a good replacement." Chloe said, pretending to be serious. Rachel chuckled.

"Don't worry, she'll be fine. Besides, she's even cuter than Terry. That should be enough for you." Rachel told her. Chloe shrugged.

"Well, if you say so. But, I know someone she can't be cuter than." Chloe said, moving to kiss Rachel's forehead.

"So, yeah. Uh, are you going to finish that croissant?" Chloe asked, trying to be cute. Rachel snorted.

"Yes, you fucking piggy." Rachel answered, finally taking a bite.


	2. You Can Call Me "Queen Bee"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Been procrastinating on uploading the next chapter. Well, here we go. Original draft finished 7/02/15.

Max and Clyde were standing together in the kitchen of the bakery. Moving to Max's side, Clyde propped himself off the counter, hands close to Max's. Max unknowingly moved a hand closer to Clyde, meeting one of them. They looked towards each other as it happened, smiling awkwardly before someone spoke.

"Max." Clyde started. He slowly grabbed Max's hand and clasped it with his. Looking into her blue eyes, he gave a weak smile. Max looked worried. Taking a deep breath, Clyde continued.

"There's... something I want to tell you." Clyde said looking into her eyes. Gritting his teeth, he had to choose his words carefully.

"I know you just started, but you have to know..." Clyde informed Max. Max gulped, waiting for the words. The air was tense. Max had put on one of her indie albums on the hi-fi, making the quaint shop feel... serene. They seemed like some leads in a modern love story; small town romantics with brighter futures than where they were. Clyde leaned in, stopping short of her right cheek. Whispering into her ear, he told her his inner conflict.

"I can't make cookies. Like, at all. Terry did it for us; I handled everything else. If you know how to make great cookies, please do. Everyone in town likes our cookies, and we need to keep up a standard." Clyde confessed. Max let out a breath she didn't know she was holding. Letting go of her hands, Clyde went to get some bowl and other equipment. Max walked over, watching him get ready.

"I do know a little trick for making different types of cookies. If you want me to, I could write it down." Max offered. Clyde had finished bringing out everything they needed.

"You could write it down, but I'd miss hearing your sweet voice." Clyde told her with a wink. Max smirked at him, slapping his arm.

"Yeah, because me saying 'you mix those wet and dry ingredients. Oh yeah.' That's really angelic." Max said, dipping into a deeper voice to channel the inner angel in her. Clyde was fanning himself.

"Oh, yeah. Don't stop, Max. Keep going." Clyde said, trying not to laugh. They both started bursting into little laughing fits. Then, they get down to business.

"Okay, so what do we do?" Clyde said, walking towards the pantry with Max in tow.

"Well, get some all-purpose flour, baking soda, unsalted butter, brown and granulated sugar, eggs, vanilla extract, chocolate morsels, and salt." Max told Clyde. Grabbing the ingredients, Max continued.

"The trick is in varying the amount of butter and sugar that goes into the cookies. It'll change the texture of the cookie if we do." Max told him.

"So, what type of cookies do you want to make?" Clyde asks, looking over the ingredients.

"I feel like soft, chewy cookies would be good for everyone." Max suggests, grabbing some butter, the sugars, and measuring cups.

"I'll prepare this, you take care of the dry ingredients. We'll need two and a quarter cups of the flour, 1/2 a teaspoon of baking soda, and 1 teaspoon of salt." Max ordered Clyde. 

Max mixed two sticks of butter, 1 cup of brown sugar and 1/2 cup of granulated sugar with an electric mixer while Clyde placed the flour, baking soda and salt in a large bowl and whisked it. Max stopped the mixer and grabbed two eggs and the vanilla extract. She cracked the two eggs and put the them in the mixer. She eyeballed two teaspoons (or what she thought was enough) of the vanilla extract into the mixer and turned it back on. Feeling satisfied with how her part looked, she stopped the mixer.

"Alright, bring the dry ingredients over and get two cups of the chips." She said. Clyde brought her the bowl and went to get the morsels.

"Now we combine it all and mix." Max said and proceeded to do. Feeling like the concoction was ready for the oven, they stopped mixing and Clyde grabbed ice cream scoopers.

"Terry left them." He justified their presence. They scooped them onto some cookie trays, set the oven to 350 degrees, waited for it to heat up and placed the cookies in.

"You watch the cookies. I'll unlock the door to let customers in and hold the fort down for a couple minutes." Clyde told Max. 

As he walked off, Max watched the oven. Memories of youth flooding back to her. Days spent helping in the kitchen. Oh nostalgia. She couldn't daydream forever. however. The cookie would burn. After a good enough time passed, or in her case three indie songs finished, she took the cookies out. Just then, Clyde walked in.

"Damn, son. Where'd you get that?" Clyde said. Max took two cookies and offered one to Clyde.

"To our jobs." Max toasted, raising her cookie. Clyde did the same.

"Allahu Akbar." Clyde replied. They took a bite in. Max liked the taste. Tasted like mommy's homemade cookies. She looked to Clyde. He looked frozen.

"Clyde? Are you alright?" Max asked, tilting her head to a side. The air was tense.

"Max... I would kiss you on the front counter right now, but I respect your decision to give me consent to do so. Seriously though, these are fucking fantastic." Clyde finally said, taking another bite. Max smiled, seeing Clyde was back to being Clyde. Max and Clyde took the trays to the display case and placed them in. As Clyde took the trays back to the kitchen, the door swung open.

Max looked up and felt her breath get taken away. Two blonde bombshells had walked in and were standing right in front of her. Max could feel a blush on her face and her neck choking up.

"Damn. They're really hot." Max thought. One of the blondes, one with short hair, lowered her sunglasses.

"You're not Terry." She said. Max tried to calm down, but with two hot blondes in front of her, well, it's not hard to imagine her difficulties with that.

"I think you're scaring her, Vic. Quit the cold bitch image, and enjoy yourself for once. We're here to have fun." The other blonde said. Turning to Max, she put a hand on her shoulder.

"Don't mind my friend. She thinks that she has to uphold some image to the world. It's truly sad." She said to Max, in a faux 'woe is her, she had a hard life' manner. Her friend slapped the back of her head.

"Shut up, T. I was just getting familiar with our new friend. Welcome to Arcadia Bay, young one. I am Victoria Chase, and this bimbo is my lackey, Taylor." The short haired blonde said, introducing themselves. Both extended a hand to acknowledge Max. Max returned the gesture.

"Max Caulfield. Pleasure to meet you. Now, what would you like?" Max asked, shaking their hands. Taylor moved to the display case and back to the counter.

"We'll have the tiramisu and three frappes, please." Taylor asked. 

Max nodded and went for the tiramisu. Clyde arrived from the kitchen and placed down three frappes in plastic cups. Taylor picked up two of them and went to a table, while Victoria stayed by the counter, taking out her wallet and a pen. Once Max came back with some tiramisu, Victoria was writing something down. Max cleared her throat to get her attention.

"That'll be $8.00." Max said. Victoria rushed what she was writing down, and handed Max a check. The check was worth $50.

"Uh..." Max tried to say something, but Victoria beat her to it.

"It's for what we'll buy later. You can keep the change if we don't use it all." Victoria said rather quickly and a bit hushed. 

Grabbing the rest of their order, Victoria walked towards Taylor. Looking down at the check, Max saw a phone number scribbled on it. She took her phone out and texted the number.

"Victoria? This is Max?" She texted. 

She looked up, seeing Victoria take out her phone and type something quickly on it. Max's phone did a quick jingle, signifying something was sent to her. She looked down and saw Victoria had answered her text.

"Talk 2 u after we leave." Victoria wrote back. 

Looking up, she saw Victoria looking in her direction. Her eyes hid behind the sunglasses, not allowing Max to see whether Victoria was glaring or not. Taylor was texting someone, so she didn't see Victoria staring at Max. When she was done, she looked at Victoria, then at Max, and pouted. Smacking Victoria's arm, they started to whisper to each other. Clyde came out of the kitchen to hang out with Max.

"Yo, Mad Maxxie. Getting used to the slow workday?" Clyde asked, sitting on the counter. Max joined him.

"Yeah, I guess. So far, the girls are mostly nice. I'm fine with that." Max answered. Clyde let out a chuckle.

"Hey, don't leave me out of this." Clyde replied. 

Max gave a small smile. Even though it was her second week there, she felt that she had settled in well. Before she could reply, the door swung open loudly and Victoria's and Taylor's voices broke the nice silence.

"Hey, girl! What took you so long?" Taylor said to the new girl, giving her a hug.

"Late as usual." Victoria said to her. 

The new girl had settled down with her friends and joined them in the tiramisu. Max watched them, seeing them enjoy the food and company. She felt a little left out. Sure, she had Clyde, but this was different. The three girls looked so happy. She didn't mope long, as a nudge brought her back. Turning around, Clyde had brought her some tiramisu and a frappe.

"Don't want to be left out? Girl's day out. My treat." Clyde said, grabbing his own and settling down next to Max. 

Max gave him a warm smile, and Clyde did the same. They ate in silence, with an occasional glance at each other, soaking in Max's music and the chit-chat from the girls. She knew from a distance, it looked romantic. She knew better, however. It was a nice gesture between coworkers. Nothing more. As she finished her food, Clyde picked up the plates and cups and brought them back to the kitchen. She watched him go before hearing something clink behind her. Turning around, she saw the new girl brought some plates and tablewear up.

"So, you're Clyde's new girl?" She asked. Max jolted a bit.

"Excuse me?" Max replied. The new girl chuckled softly.

"Don't tell me that he wasn't coming on to you. He can't help himself around pretty girls." She said. Max gave her a funny look.

"He didn't. He didn't even talk to me when we were eating." Max said. The new girl shook her head.

"I know Clyde too well to know he'd gossip about me. Did he tell you about my 'tendencies'? About 'Crazy Court'?" She said a bit louder. 

'Court'? Who names their kid just 'Court'?' The brunette thought to herself.

"Your name's just 'Court'?" Max asked. The new girl looked taken aback.

"You really don't know who I am?" She asked. Max shook her head.

"He didn't tell you anything else about himself?" She asked. Again, Max shook her head. The new girl face palmed.

"I guess I overreacted. Shit, this is embarrassing. Well, let's start over. Hi, I'm Courtney." Courtney said. Max nodded.

"Max. Nice to meet you." She said. Courtney gave her a card.

"My friends and I are leaving soon, so we can't talk long, and I fucked up the little time we had. Text me later, and we'll continue this." Courtney said, walking towards her friends. 

As she walked away, Victoria approached Max. Max gave her a small smile.

"Did you enjoy the food?" Max asked.

"Good, but not as good as you look." Victoria whispered, looking at the display case. 

Max's face flushed a bit. Victoria was very forward.

"Give me all the chocolate cookies there." Victoria ordered, focused on said food. 

Max complied, grabbing a box to stuff them in and handed them to Victoria. Their hands brushed briefly, but Max felt the warmth transfer between them. 

"Keep the change." Victoria said, turning towards the exit. 

Max saw Victoria and Courtney go through the door, but Taylor walked towards Max. Before Max could ask her, Taylor pulled Max into a hug. 

"Oh, Max. You looked so lonely." Taylor said, shaking her around. 

Max would have spoken up, but her face was resting somewhere 'soft'. That made it hard for her, to say the least. Luckily, or unluckily for her, Taylor stopped.

"I'll make it up to you, Max. Here, this is my number. It's usually for parents who needs someone to babysit their kids, but it'll have to do." Taylor said, grabbing a slip of ripped paper from her bag and placing it in Max's hand. 

Closing Max's hand, Taylor leaned in and placed a kiss on her forehead before leaving. Just as she left, the sound of clapping snapped Max from her dizziness.

"Way to go champ, you got another girl's number and scored a kiss. I taught you well." Clyde's voice said. 

Max regained control, and remembering what Taylor did, went to feel her forehead. Feeling a sticky substance, she brought her hand down and saw some glitter on her fingers.

"You'll want to clean that off. Who knows where that's been?" Clyde said, walking back into the kitchen.

"Hey!" Max realized what he was insinuating.

...

"Taylor, you're dreaming again. What's up?" Victoria asked. Taylor looked up, seeing Victoria drive them back to her house.

"It's nothing." Taylor answered, remembering Max. 

She hoped Max would take her offer. Looking to Courtney in the backseat, she saw her texting someone. Probably a new boyfriend. Then, Taylor heard a ring from her phone. Looking to it, she read the message to herself.

"Taylor? It's Max. I added you as a contact. Save my numbr plz." It read. 

Taylor did so, saving Max as a contact. After that, Taylor immersed herself in the lovely music flooding the stereo.

"To all my Dominican girls dem,  
all my Caribbean girls dem  
All my West Indian girls dem,  
I done fucked a million girls, damn" 

“Hey, can you change the song, guys?” Courtney asked.

Her request went unanswered.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Max's little tip for cookies came from this video: watch?v=hCzVqaFMlIw. You're welcome to try it out. Truth be told, I messed up on a lot of cookies, so yeah. If it helps, yeah for ya. If it doesn't, well I don't know.


	3. Earth Angel

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (So yeah. Been procrastinating on editing and uploading this. Been trying to get fit, had family over for vacation/holiday. And since Ep. 4 is coming really soon, had to get it before the episode hits us with feels and confusion. This next episode is going to hurt like a motherfucker. Original Draft done 7/03/15.)

"So, what's the deal with Courtney?" Max asked, sitting on the counter. Clyde looked up.

"Who's this 'Courtney' you speak of? I don't know any 'Courtney's'." Clyde replied.

"One of the girls yesterday thought I was your 'girlfriend' or something. So, I'm asking you. What's the deal between you two?" Max said.

Luckily for Clyde, the door swung open. Looking to the door, they saw three blondes walk in. The two younger blondes sat down at a table by the door. The older looking one approached the counter.

"Where's Terry?" She asked, looking around.

"College-bound. Wish her luck, okay? You know she's a good person." Clyde said. The blonde gasped.

"Oh. So soon? She will be in our prayers." The girl said, making a sign of the cross and saying something under her breath.

"Yeah, yeah. In nomine patris, et filii, et spiritus sancti. Amen." Clyde said, copying the girl's movement. The girl gave Clyde a smile before looking to Max.

"Oh, how rude of me. I didn't introduce myself to your new friend, Clyde. I'm Kate Marsh. Pleasure to meet you." Kate said, extending a hand and smiling. Max felt a blush again. Kate's smile looked so angelic.

"M-Max. Nice to m-meet you." Max stammered, accepting her hand. She felt a pleasant warmth from Kate's hand. Kate smiled.

"Nice to meet you too." Kate replied.

Letting go, Max immediately wished Kate didn't. Looking around the display case, Max never let her gaze off Kate. The innocence of her demeanor, her smile, even her clothes, though quaint, drew Max in.

"Can I have three cinnamon buns, please?" Kate asked.

Max nodded, going for the display case. Opening the case and bringing out the tray, she cursed under her breath as the buns were really sticky. As she struggled, she heard Kate talk to Clyde.

"Yeah, Max is a sweet girl. She adapted well after a rough first week." Max heard Clyde tell Kate. Max raised her head upon hearing her name.

"Knowing you, 'rough' might be an understatement." Max watched Kate say with a smirk. Clyde glared at Kate.

"Look, just 'cause I told you about me and Court doesn't mean I did that type of shit with Max. We're just co-workers." Clyde said, raising his hands in defense.

"I didn't mean it like that, Clyde. Sweet mother, I was referring to your other 'escapades'." Kate said, crossing her arms. Clyde scratched his head.

"Shit, forgot about those. Still, the answer's no. Max just started about a week ago, and she just settled comfortably into the job yesterday. Besides, I don't think she'll be up for it." Clyde answered. Kate seemed unimpressed.

"Courtney sure got you. No offense." Kate said. Clyde glared again.

"Look, Max has probably seen more than what we have around here. The Bay's boring and you know the forest sucks half the time." Clyde said. Kate shook her head.

"Well, I'll come with you when you bring her. I haven't gone hiking in a while and you know what they say, 'the more, the merrier.'" Kate suggested. Clyde nodded.

"Sounds like a date. Sure, why not. Oh. It looks like she was listening too." Clyde said, seeing Max stand there and looking at them. Max felt a blush on her face again. This was embarrassing. She had zoned out listening to them.

"It's okay, Max. He was going to do it sooner or later, probably." Kate said, walking towards her.

Grabbing the tray, Kate took three buns and some plates and walked to her little group. Max watched as they interacted, cheering at the arrival of the long awaited food and the start of their own conversation.

"So, I guess you heard all that, right?" Clyde said, behind Max.

"Only from when you mentioned my name." Max said. Clyde nodded.

"So, yeah. You up for hiking? You'll only need some sneakers and maybe sunblock, though you've probably seen the area already." Clyde asked, shaking his neck. Max thought for a bit.

"Actually, I don't know much of the area aside from town, so yeah. Count me in." Max said. She saw Clyde's face light up.

"Kate! She said yes!" Clyde yelled. Kate looked up, a smile gracing her face again.

"Oh, how wonderful. Just say the day and I'll be ready." Kate said.

"Are you going hiking again?" One of the girls asked.

"Can we come? We never get to go hiking with you, Katie." The other girl said.

"Do you mind, Clyde?" Kate asked.

"Of course not. The more, the merrier." He answered.

"Yay!" The two girls cheered, going into what they'll do when they go hiking.

Max enjoyed watching the closeness between the girls. She hasn't had friends like that in a while. She did have a close friend, but she didn't know where she went after she moved. Max didn't dwell on it for long, as she watched the happiness and energy between the girls.

...

Kate waved at Clyde and Max as she and her group left. They had enjoyed the food and couldn't wait for the trip.

"Hey, Kate. The animals won't hurt us, right?" One of the girls asked.

"Don't worry, Lynn. The animals are more afraid of you than you are of them." Kate said, just as she received a text. It was from Clyde.

"This Saturday?" He asked. She smiled.

"Sure, it's fine. Remember to bring Max. :)". She replied.

"How could I forget?" He replied. Kate smiled.

"You guys don't mind Saturday, do you?" She asked her sisters. They both shook their heads. She smiled again. She couldn't wait.

...

"So. What exactly happened between you and Courtney?" Max asked. Clyde looked up from his phone.

"It's a long story. I'll tell it to you over a fire when we go hiking or whatever." Clyde answered. Max smacked his arm.

"Come on. We got time now." Max said, sitting on top of the counter.

"Later, Jesus." Clyde said. Max pouted.

"But..." Max tried to say something, but Clyde turned on the hi-fi to drown out Max with some poetry with music accompaniment.

"Short nigga, but my dick tall.

What I told you bitch dog.

Only thug nigga down at the Pitchfork..."

Clyde smirked as Max facepalmed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Good luck to you all. Next chapter will come after Ep. 4 and I come back down from the feels it may bring. See you all after Ep. 4. ~chopperdonarbeiten


	4. OMI

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So I kinda didn't update my story here like I did on FF.net. There are other stories that I uploaded there. I will come around to uploading them here if anyone is interested. Check the chapter notes for my reasons for inactivity, and it feels good to be back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So yeah, I'm back I guess. Sorry it took so long. School. That's all I'll say to justify my inactivity. Original Draft finished 7/04/2015. Happy belated Fourth of July.

The day had been going slow. No one that Max and/or Clyde knew had come in for some snacks or a visit, and everyone else seemed to not want sweets. Clyde napped on one of the tables, while Max tried to guess Clyde's phone password. He had left a certain song on repeat, and challenged Max to stop it. Nineteen attempts later, she was nowhere. She gave up, accepting the circumstance she was in now, and tried to enjoy the song.

It was nice enough. It sung about girls, but in a respectful way. Knowing the multitude of Clyde's music from two weeks on the job, she was surprised by this new song. Soft drum beats, sweet piano chords, smooth vocals, and even a trumpet made it a good enough song to pass the time with.

Max shimmied around behind the counter to the music, whistling along. To pass the time, Max brought out the cookie tray and arranged what was left. A certain customer kept buying the whole first batch at the beginning of the day, so they were lucky that there still was some cookies. Shimming to the front of the counter, she moved some cookies around. She made a smiley face first, but felt it was boring. Trying to think of something, she started to move them around aimlessly. Scratching her head, she couldn't tell what exactly she was trying to make.

Giving up on the cookies, she turned around to wake up Clyde. However, as she turned around, she collided with a taller figure. A taller, bustier figure. Before she could freak out, Max felt herself get picked up in a bear hug and swung around. Max knew this feeling before, but the grip was tighter, and there was more energy in the movement. When she was put down, Max looked up to see her cuddler. She was met with a very sexy, and very tall brunette. A smirk graced her face.

"What is with this town and smirking?" Max thought before getting pulled into another hug. Max collided with her chest again, refocusing her mind to other things. The girl swayed about as she held Max, singing along with her own words.

"Oh, I think that I found myself a small cutie/She's got some freckles, blue eyes, and a sweet booty." She sang along. Max blushed. Was her booty really sweet? And who was this girl cuddling her?

"Dana! This is the fifth time today! Consent! Have you ever heard of it? It's very popular with most people." A voice scolded the girl cuddling Max. The girl moved to face the voice, bringing Max along. There stood a serious looking blonde. She was about the same height as the girl hugging Max, but her figure was more voluptuous. She had some serious curves, giving her a mature, older look. She saw the blonde grab the cuddler's arm and pull her away from Max. That allowed Max to see the rest of the girl who held her.

She was greeted by the graceful and athletic figure accompanying the brunette. Max saw what the other girl,"Dana", was capable of as she dodged a swat of the blonde's hand aimed at her head, and even grabbed the other arm with a quick motion. As she gripped down, Max saw how toned Dana's muscles flexed as she tightened her grip. Max felt more inadequate than before, but even more intrigued. She didn't know which one she liked more. Max didn't even move as Dana went and grabbed her again.

"But Jules! She just so cute! See?" Dana said, picking up Max and holding her up like a little puppy. Max felt herself blush harder. She's been blushing a lot since she's arrived in Arcadia Bay, hasn't she? Even so, Max saw the blonde back up a bit, possibly repulsed by Max's face. However, Max did see a little blush on the blonde's face, as if acknowledging Dana's opinion of her.

"Okay, so she's actually cute. Just remember to ask before you grab?" She said, rolling her eyes.

"I will." Dana said. Just then, a crashing sound drew all their attention. As Dana turned around, with Max in tow, Clyde appeared to have woken up from his nap. Watching him get up, Max saw Clyde give a smile.

"Oh, I think that I found myself a cheerleader." Clyde said, walking towards them.

"Juliet, you're serious as ever. Dana, beautiful as usual. Can you let go of my coworker? I need her for work." Clyde asked, but Dana refused. Bringing Max closer, Dana held her tighter.

"But she's so cute. I can't let you have her. Who knows what you'd do to this wittle baby?" Dana said, carrying Max. Juliet just facepalmed.

"Well, she has been here for well over a week, so I guess you're a wittle wate." Clyde said. Dana backed up a bit.

"You didn't, did you? Please tell me you didn't." Dana said. Max rolled her eyes.

"Uh, whatever you think he did, I can assure that nothing happened between us." Max answered her. Max heard Dana sighed in relief.

"If you say so, cutie. Oh, yeah. I'm Dana by the way." Dana said as she sat herself down in one of the booths. Dana brought her head next to Max and rested it on a shoulder.

"Max, pleasure to meet you." Max said, not turning around to face Dana as her head kept Max from turning. That and the heat from Dana convinced Max not to move around as much. Dana hummed in response, nuzzling closer to Max. Max instead looked to Clyde.

"She seems to like Max. Totally was not expecting that." Clyde said, walking closer to Juliet, who was coming back from her facepalm.

"What do you mean?" Juliet asked, looking at Clyde.

"Nothing. Just rambling here." Clyde answered. "So, what brings you here? I don't think it was a case of the munchies?"

"Well, Dana just finished practice and took a bit of my coffee." Juliet started, but Clyde raised a hand.

"You could've said 'my coffee', and that would've done it." He said. Juliet nodded. Max wondered what was in the coffee to make Dana act like this. Just then, Max felt her body get lowered into the seat of the booth. Laying down on the seat, Max tried to turn herself around, but stopped when she met Dana's chest. Before she could do anything, Dana brought Max in closer to her, burying Max's face in. Clyde let out a quick chuckle.

"Yeah, Max. Get 'er goin'." Clyde said. Juliet smacked him.

"Don't encourage such acts. Poor Max didn't allow Dana to do that." Juliet said, chastising Clyde.

"Hey, if I was in Max's place, I wouldn't be complaining." Clyde confessed. Max stopped listening to them. She wanted to move her arms, but Dana's grip held them down.

"Well, if you can't beat them..." Max thought to herself. Resting her head down, Max closed her eyes and went to take a nap.

...

"Look at that. It's a thing of beauty, ain't it? Why don't you write an article about modern love, Juliet? I'll provide the photo for the story." Clyde suggested, looking over Dana and Max. He was met with a slap to the face.

"I think that qualifies as libel. I'm not here to ruin people's lives." Juliet said, as Clyde rubbed his cheek.

"It's not exactly a defamation of their reputations. They seem to be enjoying each other right now." Clyde said. Juliet just glared at him.

"Using them as an image for something they don't even know they'd be participating in doesn't seem unethical to you?" Juliet asked Clyde. He just shrugged.

"You have to admit, though. It would make a nice photo for something." Clyde said, walking over to his phone, leaving Juliet to watch over the brunettes. Clyde came back and shot a few photos at different angles. Looking at Juliet, she had her arms crossed and death glared at the ground. He could tell something eating at her.

"You didn't tell her, did you?" Clyde said. Juliet shook her head, not looking up. Wiping her eyes, Clyde shook his head.

"You promised Terry you'd tell her before she left." Clyde said. Juliet just nodded. Clyde sighed.

"Look, I was just joking. I know you love Dana a lot, but sooner or later, you'll have to tell her." Clyde said, motioning her to follow him. Juliet followed Clyde as he locked the front door and led her to the kitchen. He pulled up a chair and offered it to Juliet. She sat down.

"I know you feel a little pressured since both Terry and I told you to just do it. Now that Terry's gone, you probably feel like shit. Don't let that keep you down. You're only human. When you feel ready, go get her." Clyde said as he settled on an opposite countertop. Juliet sighed.

"I know. It's just been very hectic lately. Her practices and my club meetings make it difficult for some impromptu date where I can tell her. My responsibilities to the club hasn't help either. Now, that new girl..." Juliet said, curling her fingers into fists, looking ready to rip something up.

"Look, you know Dana is always that way with stuff she finds cute. This is no different." Clyde said. Juliet just shook her head.

"I know..." Juliet started.

"But..." Clyde continued.

"That stupid girl just accepted it and joined in with what Dana did so easily, like it was fucking second nature." Juliet said, making fists in her lap.

"Max is just easy going. She knows when to just go with the flow." Clyde said, defending Max. Juliet was shaking her head, trying not to cry.

"I just feel I might be too late when I saw Dana... " Juliet managed to choke out, before outright sobbing. Clyde got up and patted Juliet's back.

"There, there. Just let it out. Stay strong. You haven't lost her." Clyde reassured Juliet, continuing to comfort her.

...

"Thanks for letting me nap, Clyde. I really needed." Dana said, still holding Max.

"Don't mention it. You might want to hurry out. Juliet might get pissed." Clyde said, walking back the kitchen.

"I know. Hey, Max. Thanks for being okay with being used as a pillow." Dana said, turning Max around.

"No problem, Dana, but give me a warning or something next time?" Max asked. Dana nodded.

"Dana! Come on!" Juliet called from outside.

"I'm coming!" Dana called back.

"Goodbye, Max. See you later." Dana said. Just as Max was about to say goodbye as well, Dana leaned in and gave Max a peck on her nose. Dana smirked and walked away. Max put her hands in her pockets as she watched Dana walk out. Feeling something in a pocket, she grabbed it and brought her hand out. It was a folded piece of paper.

"Did she really?" Max thought as she unfolded the paper.

"Practice at 9:30 this saturday. If you're interested, you can watch. Don't worry, I'm sure the other girls will love you. Clyde will know where to drop you off." The scrawl on the sheet read. At the bottom was Dana's signature and her phone number.

"She really did." Max thought to herself. She went to grab her phone to test the number. From the threshold leading to the kitchen, Clyde had watched the whole thing.

"She really did." Clyde thought to himself. "Juliet might kill me, or Max, or both of us."

"Dana? It's Max? Can I really come see you?" Dana's phone read. Dana smiled to herself as she walked along with Juliet. Her fingers were like the Flash.

"Of course, grl. Be careful, tho. The girls might not be able to keep their hands off u." She texted back.

"Kay. I'll be there." Max replied. Dana smiled bigger.

"Who you texting, Dana?" Juliet asked, taking Dana's attention away from the phone.

"Just a friend, Jules. You coming to my practice this Saturday, right?" Dana asked, puppy eyes aimed at Juliet.

"I can't. Sorry, Dana. Club stuff, you know?" Juliet said, regretting the schedule she has to follow.

"It's alright, Jules. I understand." Dana said. Juliet could tell Dana wanted her to attend this practice, along with the 6 others she missed.

"I really hope she didn't get that girl to go." Juliet thought to herself, as they walked along.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just wanted to let you all know I'm still here and I have a lot of other stories that I've written. I just need to edit them. My usual editor, like myself, has been busy, so I'll need to edit my drafts myself from now on. Just need to find the time with my schedule and responsibilities. I just hope you can be patient with me. I didn't want to keep you all waiting, but it's been hard lately. See you all soon.
> 
> PS: Could you guess the song in this chapter?


	5. The Rest of the Pack

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally got around to get this chapter up. Hope you join! Also, kinda had this headcanon(s) for a character(s) that will appear in this chapter. Can you spot it? Original draft finished: 07/07/2015.

"Oh jeez, I'm running late." Max said as she ran down the street.

"Damn mornings. Never should exist." Max muttered under her breath. As she ran down the sidewalk, she chastised herself for not following her alarm.

Before she can continue blaming herself, she bumped into someone. Max realized again she was a tiny girl when she ended up falling down after bumping into the person. Looking up, her realization was confirmed as she saw who she bumped into. The person in front of her was rather large. The person looked unique, with the purples of their clothes and highlight. They seemed to have notice something of the bump, as they were looking around for where it came from. Seeing nothing, they returned to the phone in their hand and went to walk across the street. Max looked around and noticed a cyclist not paying attention to the person as they crossed.

"Look out!" Max called out. The person heeded Max's warning, as they looked up, saw the cycler, and backed off. As the cyclist passed, the person turned to see Max still on the ground. The person went to help her up.

"Gee, thanks for warning me. That would have gotten ugly if you didn't." The person said, offering a hand to Max. Max took it.

"No problem. Sorry for bumping into you earlier." Max said, getting up.

"Oh, so that was you?" The person asked. Max nodded.

"It's no problem. Again, thanks." The person thanked her.

"No problem." Max replied, waving goodbye. She went back to running.

...

Max felt good helping someone, but she had a job to uphold. Her journey had another halt, however. Max, again in her rush, bumped into someone else. Again, Max realized she was small as she fell again. However, she fell harder than before. Max winced in pain a little.

"Putanginaw." Max heard someone mutter. Opening her eyes, she saw the person she bumped into. She looked studious; glasses adorning her face and bag in hand. However, Max surmised that she had more than smarts in her, from what she could tell from the red streak in her ponytail.

"Sorry." Max said to her. The girl looked to Max and her look of anger quickly dissipated.

"Oh, it's, uh, okay." She said, getting up and walking to Max. She offered a hand, which Max took.

"No, seriously. It's my fault. I'm in a hurry and I already bumped into someone earlier." Max apologized. The girl shook her head.

"Hey, we're all in a hurry sometimes. Just slow it down a bit, okay?" The girl advised Max.

"Okay, thank you." Max said, this time walking to the bakery.

...

Max was making significant progress. So far, no bump ins. The bakery was just around the block. She looked to her phone, which told her she was only 45 minutes late. That didn't matter, as she had got there safely. That about lasted when Max opened the front door.

Max flung the door open, proud she made the rest of her journey without incident. But as the door swung, a scream got Max's attention. Looking inside, she saw what may have been a cake of sorts in a previous life. Now, it was a large mess on the floor. Next to the mess was a small, dark-skinned girl in a purple shirt and glasses. She looked so distraught. Max felt so bad.

"I was taking a nap here, who's causing a ruckus?" Max heard Clyde's voice say from the kitchen. As he walked out of the kitchen, Max saw his face go from stern to shocked.

"I just baked that. What the heck?" Clyde said, running a hand through his hair. Seeing Max, Clyde sighed.

"Hey, Max. Fashionably late, I see." He said, looking at his watch.

"Sorry, Clyde. I woke up late and had a pretty bad morning today." Max apologized, before looking to the girl whose cake she ruined.

"Sorry for your food, ma'am. I didn't mean to. I was just..." Max started, but stopped as the girl looked up to her, tears welling up and quivering lips as she looked to Max. Max got enamored with the look on her face. Though she hated to see someone sad, she couldn't help but look at the girl. The way her hair framed her face, the way the glasses heightened her appearance.

"Dammit Max. Do something." Max thought to herself. She stood there frozen. Max didn't realize the girl was no longer looking sad, but looking at her confused and even a little scared. Clyde was even looking at Max confused, but quickly caught on.

"Don't worry. My friend here just realized there are more girls cuter than her. She usually isn't this gay. Or clumsy. Or late. Usually, she can't keep her hands off me." He said to the girl, offering a hand. She accepted. Clyde looked at her as he brought her up. She wasn't on the verge of tears, but she was biting her lip a bit and not looking towards Max. She seemed to be looking at something at the ground.

"Look, I was serious. I know you're not opposed to the idea, Stella." Clyde said. That got her attention. She cleared her throat.

"I can't be that cute, can I?" She asked. Clyde shrugged.

"I mean, I think you're cute. Beside, you made her speechless by just looking at her. Kate didn't do that. She just stuttered trying to introduce herself. You, however? Speechless. Look, she's still a statue." He answered, looking back to Max who, true to his words, was still standing there.

"What about the 'can't keep you're hands off of you' part?" Stella asked. Clyde smirked to himself. He snaked an arm around Stella and pulled her closer.

"Oh, YEAH! When she started to here, she took one look, then she literally jumped on me and started kissing me. I had to tell her, 'Woah, babe. We just met. Maybe after work.' She didn't listen. All she WANTED was the Clyde!" Clyde said loudly, complete with over the top arm movements as he walked slowly around. Max snapped out of her trance when Clyde told Stella about their 'relationship'. Looking at them, Clyde noticed she was free.

"Oh, hey baby. Was just telling Stella here about our offensive, sexually open, raunchy relationship." Clyde said, which Max acknowledged with a roll of her eyes.

"Stella? This is my loyal sex fiend. Sugar-pie-honey-bunch-sweetie-belle-darling-cinnamon-apple? Stella." Clyde 'introduced' Max to Stella. Max crossed her arms.

"Haha. Very funny, Clyde. Now, can I redeem myself for I've done here?" Max asked. Clyde put a hand on his chest.

"Bwah? I am hurt. All those nights laying together in my bed; our breaths mixing as we whispered sweet nothings to each other; the heat of our bodies flowing between us; those dreams you told me about our family; all that was just a lie? You played my heart, Maxine." Clyde said, resting his head on Stella's shoulder, 'crying' on her shoulder. Max walked up to him and smacked the back of his head.

"Come on, I'm serious. Help me help this girl out." Max said. Clyde got up, rubbing the back of his head and a huge smile on his face.

"Alright, alright. You want to make Stella a happy girl? You're going to help her make her cake again. Come on." He said, leading them to the kitchen. Max looked to Stella, who was less sad than before.

"Hey, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to ruin your cake." Max apologized. Stella looked up and smiled at Max.

"It's alright. The cake wasn't difficult to make. You should be more qualified to make such a cake since you work here." Stella said. Max smiled a bit.

"Clyde makes most of the food. I'm just the cashier. The only thing I do food-wise is help make the chocolate chip cookies to make sure they're just right." Max said. Stella gasped.

"You made the cookies? They were really good." Stella said. Max blushed a bit.

"Are they better than Terry's?" Max asked. Stella thought for a bit.

"Only slightly better. No offense to her." Stella confessed.

"Hey ladies? You ready? Or do you want to continue jerking around?" Clyde asked. Max and Stella hurried in.

"Ready?" Clyde asked. Both of them nodded.

"Okay. Here's the recipe, again. Don't get hurt, blah blah blah, I'll cover the counter." Clyde said, leaving the girls alone. They looked at each other, smiled awkwardly, and looked at the paper.

"Okay, first we'll need..."

...

Clyde stood at the counter, dancing a bit to the music he had put on. He stopped just as the door opened and two people entered. Seeing the two that entered, he smiled.

"¡Brooke! ¿Como estás? ¿Estás bien? ¿Necesitas un postre?" Clyde asked, a wide smile on his face. Brooke rolled her eyes

"Clyde! Ayos lang! Eh ikaw?!" Brooke said. Clyde kept smiling.

"I see you're still being uncultured. You're in my prayers, Alyssa. Sorry you're being associated with her backwards ways." Clyde teased. Alyssa chuckled a bit, but stopped when Brooke glared at her.

"But seriously though, you guys been good?" Clyde asked.

"Could've had a better morning, but don't we all." Alyssa started. "Someone bumped into me and I almost got hit with a bicycle, but other than that, it was okay."

"Weird." Brooke said. "I bumped into someone as well."

"Wouldn't it be weird if it were the same person?" Clyde wondered out loud. Alyssa and Brooke both chuckled in response.

"Anyway, anything I could get you?" Clyde asked.

"It's alright. Stella was going to treat us here with a surprise. We'll just wait for her." Alyssa said, heading to one of the booths with Brooke in tow. Then, just when they sat down, Stella emerged from the kitchen with a very big, delicious looking cake.

"Hey, guys! Nice to see you're already here!" Stella said, heading for the booth. Brooke and Alyssa looked surprised as they stared at the cake in front of their friend.

"You've really outdone yourself this year, Stella." Brooke said, examining the cake.

"Gee, you didn't have to do this." Alyssa said, also looking over the cake.

"I only want the best for my friends. It's the least you guys deserve." Stella said, sitting across from her friends.

"How are we going to finish it all?" Brooke asked, intimidated by it's size.

"I met a new friend whose more than happy to help us out." Stella said.

"Clyde, I'm gonna join Stella for lunch. Is that okay?" A voice called from the kitchen.

"Yeah, Max. Go get 'em, troopa." Clyde said, resting on the counter. The kitchen door swung as Max ran to Stella.

"Hey, Stella." Max said, gleefully. Stella smiled and gave her a hug.

"Hey. Thanks for helping out." Stella said.

"Oh, Max. These are my best friends. Alyssa and Brooke." Stella introduced them. When Max went to look at them, she froze. Alyssa and Brooke were also frozen.

"You're the girl that bumped into me." Alyssa and Brooke said simultaneously. Alyssa and Brooke looked at each other, surprised they bumped into the same person. Max shrunk a bit.

"Hey, do I win something for guessing correctly?" Clyde said as he watched the meeting transpire.

"Wow, you already met each other?" Stella asked, looking at her friends, all three of them.

"Yeah, I guess." Max said, feeling uncomfortable.

"Well, we have a lot to talk about." Brooke said, grabbing a fork. "But first, Cake."

"Agreed." Alyssa said, joining in. Stella took part as well. Max shrugged to herself, and joined in.

...

Clyde sat outside the bakery, playing a game on his phone. He had been there while the girls had their little playdate. The door swung open, but he didn't turn around. He did see it was Alyssa and Brooke who left in his peripheral. It was about a minute or so until Stella joined them and walked away. Max joined Clyde soon after and sat next to him. Clyde felt Max rest her body on him.

"Hey, Maxima. You survived the cake?" He asked, which Max groaned.

"Hey, Clyde. You mind doing me a favor?" Max said weakly.

"No, I'm not sucking your willy, Max. I already finished my quota this month." He said.

"Haha, very funny. Seriously, I need your help." Max said.

"It's nothing sexual, is it? Because apparently those nights together were nothing." Clyde said, trying not to laugh. Max pinched his arm.

"Ow, kinky. So, what is it really?" He asked.

"Honestly, I think you probably believe your own lies sometimes." Max said. "Anyway, I need you to drive me around this weekend. I have the hiking thing with Kate and Dana's practice coming up. Can you do that for me?"

"I was already coming along with the hiking thing, but if you need me, then yeah I'll help." He said, still focused on his game.

"Thanks, Clyde." Max said, resting on his shoulder as the sun set.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, this was the last chapter I finished for this story so far. Still trying to figure out the next chapter. So, yeah.


	6. A Nice Nature Walk

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Holy crap! Finally! This new chapter sees the light of day! And I totally didn't spend an all-nighter to finish this up. Original draft started 07/17/2015. Better late than never, right?

Max laid in her bed, sleeping soundly. Snug as a bug in a rug with a jug of warm milk and a plate of cookies soundly. She probably dreamed of a childhood long gone, carefree and courageous, or just being away from the hectic badlands that was a simple bakery.

 

However, that did not last long. The sound of tic-tic-tic from the window filled her quiet room. Being the only sound at that time, Max immediately woke up. She grabbed her phone and looked at the time. 3:59 am.

 

"He's early by a minute." Max thought to herself. Sitting up, she stretched and got out. She swapped out her pajamas for her usual hipster aesthetic.

 

Max grabbed her knapsack, put on her shoes, and went downstairs. As she headed for the front door, she heard what was most likely Clyde ringing the bell furiously. Max rolled her eyes as she grabbed the knob.

 

"What a child." Max thought to herself as she turned the knob. Opening the door, Clyde looked preoccupied ringing the bell like he was making a hot beat for his mixtape.

 

"Ahem." Max cleared her throat to get his attention, which it did.

 

"Yo, Max. You all ready?" Clyde asked, finished ringing her bell. Max emerged from her home, closed and locked her door.

 

"Yeah. Is Kate and her friends already there?" She asked.

 

"Kate's already in. Come on, we'll miss the best thing out here." Clyde said, grabbing Max's hand as they ran towards the car. Clyde opened the passenger door on the driver side and pushed Max into the seat. Slamming the door, Clyde rushed to his seat, and was about to speed off, but Kate grabbed his arm.

 

"You're forgetting something." Kate said, clasping her hands together. Clyde rolled his eyes, turned off the radio, and joined her. Max looked around and saw the other two passengers besides Clyde and Kate did the same thing. Max sat quietly.

 

"Lord, we pray that you grant us safety as we proceed to travel your land. We thank you for your graces. In nomine patris, et filii, et spiritus sancti. Amen." Clyde prayed, while the others listened silently, followed by the four making that t stretching from their forehead to their heart, then to their shoulders.

 

Just as they finished, Clyde put the vehicle into drive and went off. Max looked around as they drove away. The girls next to her were whispering to each other. Kate looked like she was sleeping.

 

"Probably a good idea to sleep as well." Max thought. Max settled down in a comfortable position and closed her eyes.

 

...

 

Max's eyes fluttered open as she awoke from her nap. She looked around to see the vehicle was empty. When she looked out her window, she saw a small group sitting on a bench. Removing her seatbelt, she got out to see what they were on about.

 

As she approached the group, she could see what was up. The sun rose against the dark canvas night had brought. The orange glow mingling perfectly. No wonder she was picked up so early.

 

"Hey, sleepyhead. Nice of you to join us." Clyde said, breaking Max's trance from the sun. She looked to the bench and saw Clyde, Kate and Kate's friends looking back at her with a smile on their face. Except for Clyde, who had more of a shit-eating grin smirk thing going on.

 

"Hey, guys. Just wanted to enjoy the view, too." Max said, admiring the sunrise.

 

"Isn't it pretty?" One of Kate's friends said. Everyone nodded, agreeing with her.

 

"It sure is." Kate said. Clyde stretched out a bit and rested his arms on the back of the bench. It felt like forever as they watched the sunrise, not that it wasn't unpleasant. Clyde took out his phone and looked at something real quick. He quickly put it back in his pocket and got up.

 

"I'm gonna get us something to eat. Brb, guys." He said, walking to the car most likely. Max and the rest of the group continued to marvel at the beauty of nature. Then, Max remembered something.

 

"My camera." She said to herself. Getting up, she went back to Clyde's car. However, she stopped and covered her mouth.

 

"What?" Clyde asked, looking at Max, who looked like she was about to bust a gut.

 

"That's your car?" She asked, trying not to laugh. Clyde blushed a bit, looking at his car.

 

"Yeah. So? What?" Clyde said, clearly embarrassed. Max couldn't hold it much longer. She laughed out loud. Clyde stood there, sandwich bags in hand, pouting and red in the face in front of a stationwagon from the '90s, complete with wood panels on the side.

 

"You call me a hipster, yet you ride in that?!" She said between laughs. Clyde got more red.

 

"Yeah, yeah. And the thought of me bumping some A$AP mob while rolling in this must be very amusing to you, isn't it?" Clyde said. Max continued to laugh.

 

"I didn't even think of that, but thank you for the idea." She said again between laughs. Clyde rolled his eyes. Max finished long enough to get her bag and her camera.

 

"I was gonna give a sandwich for breakfast, but you made fun of me." Clyde said. Max grabbed her chest.

 

"Clyde, how could you? What about those wonderful nights we had? Snuggled close. Our heat keeping us warm in your...stationwagon." Max tried to be serious but the stationwagon Clyde had spoke for itself. Max was back to laughing. Clyde rolled his eyes again.

 

"Keep it up, Caulfield. Just keep it up. It's going to be real funny when I leave your ass out here when we're done." Clyde said, walking back to the rest of the group. Max joined him.

 

"You love me too much to do that. You know it." Max said.

 

"Yeah, you're right. Come on, gimme a kiss." Clyde said, puckering up. Max obliged with a playful punch to his arm.

 

"Fair enough." He said, walking towards Kate. He handed out the sandwiches and went back to admiring the view. Max took her camera and shot some pictures.

 

"How you gonna upload those to instagrum, Max? That thing doesn't exactly have wifi." Clyde asked Max, pointing out her old timey camera, probably as a way to get back at her for making fun of his stationwagon. Max glared at him.

 

"Touché." Max said, taking a bite out of her sandwich.

 

...

 

"Okay, kids. Are you ready for some adventure?!" Clyde asked his motivated group of friends and resident hipster.

 

"Yeah!" Said one of Kate's friends. With that, they started their nature walk. As the group walked, they admired the beautiful foliage. They immersed themselves in the sounds of birds chirping, and the smell of early morning air and sea breeze. Max, as expected, took photos of everything she saw. Squirrels, birds, light coming through the trees, the backsides of the rest of the group in a vain attempt at an artsy candid photo.

 

"Hold up. There's something I want to show you guys." Clyde said, stopping the group and venturing ahead.

 

"Found it! Come to me, my children!" Clyde yelled. The group followed his voice and found him standing in front of a very tall tree. Max looked up at it.

 

"It's just a tree." Max said. Clyde shook his head.

 

"Max, you naive, sexy thing. Tis not any ordinary tree." Clyde replied.

 

"This, my uneducated friends, is special tree. Native to Saturn." Clyde informed them, presenting the tree like Vanna White. Kate's friends replied with oohs and aahs. Max rolled her eyes and Kate gave a little chuckle.

 

"Really?" One of Kate's friends asked. Clyde nodded.

 

"Oh yes, my child. It is. I know because I planted it." Clyde answered.

 

"How did you get it?" The other asked. Clyde knelt down and motioned for the group to come in close. Only Kate's friends came in, Kate and Max just watched.

 

"Many sunsets ago, a holy messenger came down from... somewhere and blessed me with the privilege of growing my own tree of Saturn." Clyde explained with full sincerity. Max rolled her eyes and Kate just smiled and nodded.

 

"Did they really?" One of Kate's friends asked.

 

"Well, it was more like they threw me the seed to my head but, more or less, yes." Clyde clarified. Max had had enough, but did want to capture the moment. She took her camera and captured the scene in front of the tree.

 

...

 

The group had stopped at a little rest area close a trail through the forest. Max sat with Kate's friends on a picnic table while Kate was talking to her parents informing them about how they were doing and Clyde being Clyde.

 

"So, how do you know Kate?" Max asked Kate's two friends, sitting across from her.

 

"How do we know her?" One of them repeated. Max nodded.

 

"Yeah. I mean, I saw you enter the bakery with her that one day earlier this week and I just wanted to know." Max asked. The two looked at each other, then back to Max.

 

"Well, I mean..." One of them started.

 

"We are her sisters, so..." The other said, trying to explain how they know Kate. Max got a bit red in the face.

 

"Really?" She asked. They both nodded.

 

"Yeah. Kate's our older sister." One of them said, very evident in the awkwardness of the situation. The other shifted in her seat. Max was shaking and embarrassed.

 

"Well, I'm Lynn. Nice to meet you, uh?" One of them introduced herself.

 

"Max. Nice to meet you, too." Max said, getting up from her seat.

 

"I'm just gonna... yeah." Max said, walking away from further embarrassment.

 

...

 

Clyde sat on a log, looking aimlessly at the sky. Max came next to him and plopped down, her head in her arms, legs curled close.

 

"What's up, son? You look sullen." Clyde said, not looking away from the sky.

 

"I just embarrassed myself and want to pretend it didn't happen." Max replied. Clyde nodded.

 

"What you do?" He asked. Max curled herself tighter.

 

"I didn't know the other girls were Kate's sisters." Max answered.

 

"Oh, yeah. Them. Well, you didn't ask, so I didn't bother." Clyde said, scooting closer to Max. Max leaned in towards Clyde, who allowed it.

 

"Hey, Clyde. What's wrong with Max?" Kate asked, coming up to them.

 

"She just met your sisters." Clyde answered.

 

"Oh, right. I didn't introduce them from our first meeting." Kate remembered. Max curled up even tighter.

 

"Don't worry, Max. I'm not offended. It was my fault I didn't introduce them before." Kate reassured Max. Max peeked up from her ball of pity.

 

"You sure?" Max asked meekly. Kate put a hand over her heart.

 

"I assure you I am not." Kate said. Max relaxed a bit, unballing herself and sitting normally.

 

"So, what else is there to see?" Kate asked.

 

...

 

The group continued in silence through the forest. Max trotted on behind the whole group, still embarrassed from her earlier incident. Though Kate assured her, Max was hesitant. Then, she felt a tap on her shoulder. Looking toward where it came from, she found Lynn looking at her, concerned.

 

"Are you okay, Max?" She asked. Her concern was genuine. Max gave a little smile.

 

"I'm fine. Thank you." Max answered softly. Lynn pouted.

 

"If it's about earlier, its okay. I wasn't offended. I'm sure Kate wouldn't be offended, either." Lynn told Max, trying to make her feel better. Max nodded.

 

"You sure?" Max asked, unsure about it still. Lynn grabbed both her hands and wrapped them with her own.

 

"I'm positive." She said, with a serious face on. Max nodded.

 

"Hey, slowpokes! Come on!" Kate yelled, snapping the two out of their moment.

 

"You heard, Kate. Come on!" Lynn told Max, taking Max by the hand and bringing the both of them back to the group. When they rejoined the group, they were at the top of a slope, looking down at another part of the forest. The canopy below was gorgeous, reminiscent of a scene from Jurassic Park or The Sound of Music.

 

"Isn't beautiful?" Lynn asked out loud.

 

"It sure is." Max replied. She looked down to the younger Marsh sister. She noticed that she still held Max's hand as she looked toward the view below. Max didn't bother removing it.

 

...

 

"Today was amazing." Lynn said, walking with Max, hand in hand, as they returned to Clyde's stationwagon. Max hummed in reply.

 

"It really was." Max agreed. The two hadn't let go of each other since Lynn caught up with the group. When they finally reached the stationwagon, Kate opened the passenger side door next to the driver and sat down. Kate's other sister opened the hatchback and sat in the back with the supplies they brought with them. Clyde joined her to get something among said supplies.

 

"You feel better, Max?" Lynn asked, looking at her as they walked.

 

"Yeah, a lot better. Thank you, Lynn." Max answered. Lynn gave a beautiful smile. Almost angelic.

 

"Just like her sister." Max thought. Lynn let go and went towards the passenger seats in the car. Max looked on, content with today. A whistle caught her attention. Max looked to see Clyde resting on the hood, motioning her to join him.

 

"So, I see you've made peace with Kate's sisters. Good on you." Clyde congratulated Max. Max smiled and blushed.

 

"Yeah, you could say that." Max said, sitting next to Clyde.

 

"Looks like Lynn took a liking to you, and vice versa." Clyde said, commenting on Max's interaction with the younger girl.

 

"Yeah." Max said, still smiling. Clyde chuckled to himself.

 

"Well, can you blame me? She's just so sweet and kind. How could you not?" Max asked. Clyde shrugged.

 

"Well, I can't see anyone. But then again, I'm pretty sure she's like ten or something." Clyde replied. Max just smiled on, but moved her face into Clyde's chest. Clyde patted Max's head, knowing what she was doing.

 

"I'm a bad person, aren't I?" She asked, muffled by Clyde's chest, embarrassed that she might have been enamored by a ten year old.

 

"Yes. Yes you are." Clyde said matter of factually. Max just shook her head in his chest, reveling in the fact that she may be a "bad" person.

 

"But hey, so am I. And that's why I love you, Max." Clyde reassured her, bringing her into a one armed hug. Max returned the gesture with a hug.

 

"Thanks, Clyde." Max said, voice still muffled by his chest.

 

"Don't mention it. Now, about that kiss..." Clyde said, about to pucker his lips. Max rectified that with a punch to his guts. Clyde smiled and groaned through his teeth quietly.

 

"Touché." He said quietly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Until next time, strangers.


	7. Week 1: Rachel's Reign of Terror

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Been having trouble getting the whole chapter just right. Now, it's here!

It was a peaceful summer night in Arcadia.  In the forest, a station wagon was parked beside a lighthouse.  A campfire nearby was embers.  Inside the station wagon, three girls slept in the cargo trunk area, a blanket draped over them.  On the hood sat two figures, staring at the night sky.  Stars dotted the canvas of black.

 

"Wowser."  Max said.  She leaned on the windshield.

 

"I forgot how beautiful the night was."  She said.  Clyde nodded.

 

"How'd you forget?  You lived in a city or something?"  Clyde asked, a smirk across his face.  Max huffed.

 

"Actually, yes.  Thank you very much."  Max answered, thinking she's got him this time.  Clyde raised an eyebrow.

 

"Where?"  He asked.

 

"Seattle.  My parents and I moved there when I was 12 or 13.  I was from here originally."  Max answered.  

 

"Wowser.  That must've been crazy."  Clyde replied in all sincerity.

 

"Yeah.  I left a close friend behind without telling her.  I think about it sometimes, and regret it always."  Max said, bringing her legs closer to her body.

 

"That's life for you.  So, find anything different since you've gotten back?"  Clyde asked.

 

"Just the faces I've seen at the bakery."  Max said, relaxing a bit.

 

"Any of them you like?"  Clyde asked, turning to face Max.  Max blushed, remembering the girls that passed through the bakery.

 

"Yes."  Max finally admitted.

 

"Well, besides me, I mean."  Clyde told Max.  Max responded with a swipe towards Clyde's general direction.

 

"Fair enough."  Clyde said, scooting closer to Max.

 

"Anyone of them leave an impression on you?"  Clyde asked.  Max thought for a bit.

 

"Well, I'd say Rachel left a big impression."  Max told Clyde.

 

"Oh, God.  Rachel.  I'd never seen anyone as... eccentric as she was."  Clyde said, remembering the first whole week with Max working at the bakery.

 

-

 

(The Day After Max's First Day)

 

"Okay, Max.  I'm going to help you become proficient in your responsibilities."  Clyde told a bewildered Max, arms crossed in an authoritative way.

 

"I thought I was just suppose to take orders and stand around."  Max said.  Clyde shook his head.

 

"Max, you're so naive.  You also have to present an appreciable image of yourself."  Clyde told her.

 

"You're shitting me.  I also have to 'look pretty'?"  Max asked.

 

"Precisely."  Clyde said, giving her a thumbs up.  Max was not amused.

 

"How exactly do you expect me to achieve this?"  Max asked.  Then, Clyde pulled out something from his apron.

 

"Water balloons?"  Max asked.

 

"I think you can figure it out what to do with them."  Clyde said handing them to Max.  Max at first looked at the water balloons with confusion.  Then, she realized what he was insinuating and started to blush.

 

"Y-you can't be serious, right?!  This is ridiculous!  It will never work!"  Max yelled to Clyde.

 

"'Sex sells', as the old saying goes.  I just want to see how well it works.  Beside, people will be seeing you more than me."  Clyde replied.  Max pouted and turned away from the counter to not show any potential customers that she was adjusting something under her clothes.  Max placed the water balloons in the only logical place they would go as Clyde insinuated, and adjusted them to look a little more "natural".  Once she got it to a bit more comfortable, she got out her phone to see how she looked.

 

"Wowser."  Max said to herself, impressed at how she looked.

 

"Damn, Max!  Looking good!"  Clyde said, causing  Max to turn to see him standing at the threshold, an amused look on his face.  He raised his eyebrows when he saw Max recent "change".  

 

"Holy crap.  Impressive.  Very nice."  Clyde said, regarding Max's "change".  Max blushed.  

 

"Okay, shouldn't you baking or something?"  Max asked Clyde.

 

"I am baking.  All day, er'ry day.  Just not right now."  Clyde told her.  As Max was about tell him to get back, the door rang, alerting them of a potential customer.  Max turned her attention to the counter and the customer.  She smiled seeing it was Rachel who came in.

 

"Hi, Rachel!  Having a good day?"  Max said.  Rachel looked up to see Max, then flashed a weird look.

 

"Hey, Max.  Uh..."  Rachel said as she reached the counter, staring at a particular part of Max.  Max blushed as Rachel continued to stare. 

 

"Look.  Don't touch."  Clyde said, suddenly behind Max.  

 

"Ah!"  Max yelped with a little jump.  She turned to Clyde, looking like an angry woman.

 

"Don't! Do that!"  Max berated Clyde like a bad dog, complete with an authoritative pointer finger.

 

"Bah, you're just pretending not to like it just to be nice to Rachel.  I love it when they play hard to get, or pretend to at least."  Clyde responded, a smirk not disappearing.  Max started to pout.

 

"I'm serious!"  Max said, stomping to show how serious she was.  Clyde continued to smirk.

 

"Okay.  I'll drop this conversation.  Just remember not to forget me."  Clyde said, hands raised in a fake surrender, as he backed away towards the kitchen.  He gave Max a wink before disappearing into the kitchen.  Max huffed and turned back to Rachel, who had the most amused look in her face.

 

"Sorry about that.  You want anything, Rachel?"  Max asked.

 

"Two croissants and one iced coffee."  Rachel told Max.  Max went to the display case and got the croissants.  Bringing them to the counter, Max found a medium sized iced coffee already at the counter.

 

"$7.50."  Max said.  Rachel gave a ten.  Max went to get exact change.

 

"Here you are."  Max said, giving the change to Rachel.  Rachel took it with a smile.

 

"Your titties jiggle when you're angry."  Rachel told Max with a wink.  Max smiled while developing a blush.  She watched Rachel leave the bakery, a little hip sway as she strode out.

 

"She's not lying."  Clyde said as she left.  Max glared at him

 

-

 

(The day after that)

 

"Max, I got the fresh batch of scones.  Help me organize them."  Clyde said, emerging from the kitchen.  Clyde stopped dead when he saw what Max was doing.

 

"Really?  For all your talk of acting and being serious during the workday, this is disgraceful, Max."  Clyde said to Max, who was sitting on a chair while Rachel lounged around on top of the counter.

 

"I couldn't help it.  She's pretty.  What was I supposed to do?"  Max said meekly for allowing Rachel to do her thing.

 

"Be a man, Max.  You have to show who wears the pants around here."  Clyde said, arms crossed.

 

"Pfft.  Yeah right.  You're just jelly cuz Max is just more cooler than you because she lets me do stuff here."  Rachel said as she stretched back, encompassing a large area of the counter.

 

"You're starting to remind me why I hate cats.  Now get out of here before I show you what I do to cats."  Clyde said, standing his ground.

 

"Kshhhhhh!"  Rachel screeched, mimicking a cat's hiss, before getting off the counter and running.

 

"Max.  If you don't protect yourself from succubi like her, I'll do it for you."  Clyde told Max.  Max pouted.

 

"How can I when she's so pretty?"  Max asked weakly.

 

"You'll find prettier girls.  I assure you that much, but it takes self control to deny them."  Clyde answered her.

 

"Now, help me with these scones."  Clyde said.

 

-

 

(The day after that)

 

"So, there's this quasi-big concert-rave thing coming up in the upcoming days.  You think you're down, Max?"  Rachel asked Max, perched on the counter, stroking Max's hair.  Max was smiling, sweating and sickened with herself for letting this happen again.

 

"I-I... w-well..."  Max tried to articulate, but couldn't since Rachel was touching her.  This was probably the best and/or worst day for Max.

 

"This could be the best, or the worst, day in my life."  Max thought to herself.

 

"Hey, Max!  Guess what?  More scones!  And guess what else?  You're gonna... fuck me!"  Clyde said, emerging from the kitchen only to see Rachel back on the counter like yesterday.

 

"You got me fucked up, Rachel.  I told you what would happen.  Now, you leave me no choice."  Clyde said, laying down the scones and retreating back to the kitchen.

 

"So, what'll it be?"  Rachel asked Max, getting closer to her face, unphased by Clyde's words.  Max got more sweaty.

 

"I..."  Max began.

 

"Have at thee, whore!"  Clyde exclaimed, spraying Rachel with water from a bottle.

 

"Kshhh!"  Rachel screeched, backing away from Max and falling off the counter.

 

"Stand back, Max.  I got this."  Clyde said, pushing her back with his forearm against her chest.  Clyde vaulted over the counter to continue his attack.

 

"Kshhhh!"  Rachel screeched again, crawling away from the counter.

 

"The power of Christ compels you!"  Clyde exclaimed, spraying Rachel.  Finally realizing she was human, Rachel got up, grabbed the bottle and threw it towards the kitchen.  As Clyde ran to get it, Rachel ran out of the bakery.

 

"Damn, Rachel.  At least my bottle and my Max is... okay?"  Clyde said, picking up the bottle then looking at Max, who was soaking wet on her chest.

 

"Did I get you wet or is it the..."  Clyde asked.

 

"Water balloons?"  Max finished.  

 

"Yeah?"  Clyde asked.

 

"Yeah."  Max answered.

 

"You really didn't need to keep it up.  I legit forgot about it until now.  And that was like, two days ago?"  Clyde told Max.  Max crossed her arms, a blush forming on her face.

 

"Rachel liked them."  Max muttered.  Her blush getting deeper.  

 

"Knowing her, she'd prefer to be the one with the jiggly, perking tits in a relationship.  However, I can't blame her.  Beside, you're amazing just the way you are."  Clyde told Max.  Max looked to Clyde who had a cheeky smile.  Max smiled back, giving him a playful punch to the arm.

 

"Not the biggest Bruno Mars fan."  Max informed Clyde.

 

"Same."  Clyde agreed.

 

-

 

(The day after that.)

 

"What are you doing?"  Max asked Clyde, who was fiddling around with a bucket and the front door.

 

"Retaliation."  Clyde simply said, trying to balance the bucket on the slightly ajar door.

 

"Rachel's reign of terror ends today.  She shall no longer pester my domain."  Clyde said, finally balancing the bucket.

 

"Quickly!  Back behind the counter.  Pretend to do something."  Clyde said.

 

"Besides standing around and looking pretty?"  Max said, her turn to be cheeky.  Clyde rolled his eyes.

 

"Yes. Now go." Clyde said, moving back to the counter.

 

"Now, we wait."  Clyde said.  Max took a seat behind the counter while Clyde watched the door from the kitchen.  

 

"Max, I got to get something from the back.  Stay alert for any trespassers."  Clyde said walking off to do his thing.  Max took out her phone and began to play around with it.  She heard footsteps coming closer.

 

"That was fast."  Max thought, not looking up from her phone.  She listened to the footsteps walk back and forth, getting faint as it went into the kitchen.  Just then, a large clang followed by a huge splash of water came from the kitchen.  Max looked up.

 

"What the fuck?!"  Clyde's voice cried from the kitchen.

 

"Hey, Clyde.  You left the the back door unlocked."  Rachel's voice informed Clyde.

 

"Rachel, you rancid whore!"  Clyde yelled.  Max watched as Rachel came out running from the kitchen towards the front door.  As she got out the front door, a bucket was thrown close behind.  Then, Clyde emerged from the kitchen, soaking wet, and headed out the door.  As he passed the threshold, a pickup truck whizzed past the bakery.

 

"Bye, bitch!"  Rachel's voice called as the picked passed Clyde.  Clyde fell to his knees as he watched Rachel get away.  Max got up and took a towel.  She slowly walked to Clyde.  Clyde was staring in the direction where Rachel got away.

 

"Uh..."  Max started.

 

"She will pay."  Clyde said as he knelt, still staring.  Max joined in staring towards the direction of Rachel's getaway.

 

-

 

(Back to chilling on the hood.)

 

"She will pay.  I will ensure that much."  Clyde said, remembering the last thing that happened that week.

 

"I wonder where she went after that."  Max thought out loud.

 

-

 

(As Rachel rode in the truck.)

 

"Damn, Rachel!  You crazy!"  Chloe said as she drove.  Rachel gave a confident smirk.

 

"Go hard or get fucking good."  Rachel said, giving her a pat on the back.

 

"Say, did you get that friend to join for the concert thing this weekend."  Chloe asked.  Rachel sat in silence.

 

"Fuck."  She said plainly.

 

"We still have one extra ticket.  Who do we give it to?"  Chloe asked.  Rachel scratched her head, thinking real hard.

 

"Is your dad free?"  She asked on a whim.

 

(Later that same day...)

 

"Okay.  You guys ready?"  Rachel asked, fist full of glow sticks.

 

"Hella yeah!"  Chloe said, wearing a pair of sunglasses at night.

 

"I have a question."  William said, wearing a snapback that said "obey" on it and two gold chains around his neck alongside his unbuttoned plaid shirt with a plain white t-shirt and jeans.

 

"Ask away, Dad."  Chloe replied.

 

"What exactly is a 'DJ Dance Bass'?"  William asked, clearly out of touch with the young people.

 

"Don't worry.  You'll find out soon enough."  Rachel said as she started walking towards the entrance of the event.  Chloe and William followed closely behind.


	8. Back In The Saddle

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'M ALIVE! Took too long for me to do this. However, I did forget what this chapter was suppose to be and ended up writing a chapter that did not fit the original idea. Alright, here we go!

Max fidgeted in her sleep.Lapping her lips, Max warmed up her mind to get ready to fully wake up.Once she felt comfortable, she went to open her eyes.However, her eyes were met with darkness.She reached a hand for her face, but a foreign grasp stopped her.

 

"Miss, you mustn't.I've worked so hard for wrap over your eyes, made especially for you."A freakish voice told to her.Something like a Peter Lorre parody. 

 

"C-Clyde?What did you do?Where is Kate and her sisters?"Max asked. 

 

"Heh.You looked so peaceful when you slept.Almost like... an angel."The voice said.Max felt her heart beat faster.

 

"Clyde, this isn't funny."Max said, shaky.

 

"Quite the heavy sleeper, you are.That wrap was easier to put on you than I thought."The voice commented.

 

"Clyde, stop this crap and tell me where we are."Max said, slightly freaked.

 

"This 'Clyde' will... not be joining us, my dear."The voice told Max, making Max feel colder.

 

"Where did you take me?"Max asked, sounding defeated.She heard a squeaking noise and sensed the person with her come within centimeters of her face.

 

"Your worst nightmare, my dear."The voice said, suddenly sinister.Max felt hands, surprisingly soft, creep up her cheeks and under the wrap covering her eyes.The thumbs caressed her cheeks quickly before joining the rest of the fingers under the wrap.In a sudden move, the wrap was removed and Max was blinded by the bright sunlight.As her eyes adjusted, she was met with a view of a place worse than hell.

 

"Secondary.School."The voice said.Max turned to the voice.It was just Clyde, looking like a buffoon; wacky face and wild hair.Relieved, Max looked behind them to see no one in the back.

 

"Where's Kate?"Max asked, more calm now.

 

"Dropped them off at their house.Seriously though, you are one heavy sleep."Clyde said in his normal voice.Max stretched a bit and looked around the area they were in.It appeared to be the entrance of a school.Looking harder, she noticed a sign: Blackwell Academy.

 

"What is this place and why are we here?"Max asked.

 

"Blackwell Academy.  Black Academy is a boarding school located in the Pacific Northwest, specifically in the state of Oregon.  The grades that can attend are grades 9 through 12.  The school mascot was voted, by the students and faculty, to be the famous cryptozoological being Bigfoot.The reason behind this decision among both staff and students was because of... memes."Clyde rattled off as if he read it on a website or something.

 

"Thanks for that little bit of info.Now, why are we here?"Max said before Clyde could spout some more useless facts about this sad excuse of a center of learning.

 

"Well, Dana did invite you to see her practice cheerleading, right?"Clyde asked.

 

"And this is where it is?"Max asked. 

 

"Yup.Arcadia Park is the nickname to the place where all the athletic fields are located.American Football, Baseball, Basketball, Football, Lacrosse, Track and Field, anything that can be played here happens here."Clyde answered.Max nodded. 

 

"You said football twice."Max said.

 

"Well, the football I grew up with involved using your damn feet with the ball."Clyde replied.

 

"Bit of a stickler about the names?"Max pondered.

 

"Can't really same much considering my preferred position was between the sticks, so I did use my hands a lot.I will say my record for keepie-uppies was like 69 or 70."Clyde said. 

 

"Anyway, get the move on.The practice will start any minute now."Clyde told Max, unlocking the doors and handing her a brown bag.Max removed her seatbelt, took the stuff and set a foot out thestation wagon before realizing something.

 

"You aren't going to accompany me to see some potentially hot chicks doing God knows what for however long it takes?"Max asked looking back.

 

"I was going to get you something nice for lunch, considering you just can't storm their cafeteria because you're not a student.But, if that is how you want to be..."Clyde said.

 

"Hold on, forgot something."Clyde said, reaching in the back and giving Max a large sombrero.

 

"Alright, now get out before I think of getting you a kid's meal."Clyde said, to which Max rushed out with her stuff from Clyde.

 

Max walked to the "park" and spotted some bleachers.Walking up them, she settled herself in the middle of the middle set of bleachers.Not too high, not too low.She placed the large sombrero on her head, pondering how ridiculous she must look. 

 

"Man, I must look ridiculous."Max thought to herself.Opening her bag, she discovered a half-gallon of water, a sandwich, two cookies, and a bag of salt and vinegar potato chips.Max took a swig of the water and a bite of the sandwich. 

 

"D'uh, hey Clyde, make me a sammich."Max said to herself in a faux stupid voice.She smiled to herself at her grade a humor.As she enjoyed her possible brunch, a group of girls got on the track.First three, then five, and then 17.

 

The eighteenth girl, a familiar, tall, athletic brunette, emerged finally after a minute or so. 

 

"Alright, ladies.It's just a regular practice today.I don't have to tell you all what we have to do."The familiar brunette said to the group, her tone very telling that she was uninterested in her current situation.After that, the girls started to stretch and eventually line up rank and file, three people deep.The brunette walked to the left of the huge group.Looking around, the brunette spotted Max on the bleachers.She started to squint and Max did the same back.It was Dana.Dana smirked and looked back to the group. 

 

"Ready?!"Dana asked.She then blew into a whistle and the girls started running in unison.Once they hit the half way mark of the lap, Dana started to scream.

 

"Come on, Bigfoots, make that pass!" 

 

"Fight on, Blackwell, kick their ass!"The girls replied.Max dropped her chip as she heard that.

 

"Looks like Dana's cheer captain while I'm sitting on the bleachers."Max thought to herself.Dana continued her call and response schtick for three more laps.Max particularly liked these three.

 

"Hit hard, Blackwell, hit hard!/Don't give them a damn yard!"

 

"Put that, put that Bigfoot down!/And they won't gain that fucking ground!"

 

"Beat up, broken, black and blue!/But the Bigfoots still won't lose!"

 

After their last lap, the girls broke up and stretched again.Some girls grabbed some water.Ten minutes later, the girls grouped up and started working on... stuff.All Max could tell was cartwheels, towers and throwing girls up and catching them.Some of the impressive stuff were girls flipping around four or five times when thrown, and some girls continuing their flips with a couple backflips like in those kung fu movies.Max nodded and drank her water. 

 

Max watched as the groups switched what they were doing, the ones doing cartwheels and flips went to throwing and vice-versa.After about the same duration, Dana blew her whistle.

 

"I wish Dana could blow my whistle.Wait, what?"Max thought to herself, which made her confused in the process

 

"All right, girls.We're gonna practice the half-time entertainment.We'll practice numbers two, six and seven.Stacy, you guys have number six.Melinda, number seven.Rebecca, two.If there are parts that require the color guard or step squad, just focus on your part.Make it happen."Dana told them, and the girls dispersed.Max was about to continue watching these girls, until an unfortunate complication appeared.

 

"I need to pee."Max thought to herself.Grabbing her stuff, she went towards the school.She spotted an open door and, just as she wondered if it was for the boys or girls, 23 girls walked into the open door from somewhere.

 

"Well, that answers that."Max thought.Following their lead, Max walked in.However, she was not prepared for what was going on inside.

 

As she walked in, the girls were in several different levels of undress.Anywhere Max looked, she could see either: breasts in sports bras, breasts with bras slightly off, or plain free as the wind breasts.Regardless of their state, Max was frozen.Eventually, someone noticed the queer girl out in the locker room.Another athletic brunette gave Max a shy smile, turning to face her.To Max's dismay, the girl was baring it all and then some and did not give a damn about it.

 

"You lost, darling?"The girl asked, hints of southern hospitality in her tone.Max nodded.The brunette leaned against the lockers, arms crossed but not in an effort to cover her assets.She seemed to perk herself up.

 

"What you looking for, sugar?"She asked, turning up that charm.Max was putty in this girl's hand.

 

"Bahhhh..."Max opened her mouth, but couldn't make words. Despite Max's brief case of aphasia, brunette sports chick could infer as much.

 

"There's a toilet in the back.Come on, honey."The girl said, picking up Max and bringing her to the stall, to the confusion of her teammates.Once the door shut and Max was free of her hat and foods, Max regained regular brain function. 

 

"Wowser."Max said.After Max relieved herself, she heard some commotion outside her stall. 

 

"Great, more people."Max thought.

 

"Hey, Leah!You guys done too?"A voice beamed in the room.It sounded familiar to Max.

 

"Yeah, about to relax, Dana."The southern voice said.

 

"Hey, where did you get that stuff?"Dana said.Max silently opened the stall to try and leave unnoticed. 

 

"Some little girl came in looking for the bathroom with this stuff.She's in the stall in the back."Leah said.

 

"That hat looks familiar.Oh, look.It looks like she's done."Dana said, looking in the direction of the door.Max looked back to see it wide open. 

 

"Damn."Max thought to herself.She made her way to the parallel way that Leah brought her to the stall, but was met with an audience of more girls in various stages of undress.

 

"Fuck it!Got nothing left."Max said.She walked through the girls, who didn't mind, saying sorry as they moved out of Max's way.

 

"Hey, there she is."Leah said, stopping Max in her place and getting all eyes on her.Dana's ears perked up, turning to look at Max.

 

"Max!"Dana said excitedly.Max started to sweat.Dana squeezed through the narrow path made by the girls and hugged Max tightly, giving her a face full of organic whole milk jugs.

 

"It's so good to see you came!"Dana said, making Max's face red with embarrassment. 

 

"Dana, do you know her?"Leah said, getting near the couple with Max's stuff.

 

"Met her at the local bakery.Ain't she a cutie?"Dana said, showing her off like a puppy or something similarly small.Leah got closer, getting Max a nice view of impressive man-made land masses.

 

"I... guess?"Leah said.

 

"She's alright."A girl added.

 

"Like a shaggy puppy."Another added.

 

"Puppy?Can I see?Me, too."More voices added, then the space Max was in got more crowded as she got a free tour of a non-GMO, all organic dairy farm in the locker room.

 

"I think I could die right now and be totally happy."Max thought.

 

...

 

"Where the fuck is this chick?"Clyde said, looking at his phone.

 

"It's rare for me to get a farm fresh, non-GMO, all organic BLT and freshly bottled cane sugar soda.If only she knew that."Clyde said to himself.Just then, he got a text.It was from Dana.

 

"Clyde.U near?Max is her and needs help."The text read.

 

"In the parking lot by arcadia park."Clyde typed and sent.

 

"Omw" Dana replied.A few minutes later, Clyde spotted Dana and Leah carrying Max.He waved and opened the hatchback.The girls dropped Max in.

 

"What happened to her?She looks like she went to Valhalla or something."Clyde said.Leah and Dana smirked.

 

_ "Hey, guys!Too close!Oh!Sorry, Max!At least you get to enjoy it!Max?" _ Dana remembered what happened.

 

"Something like that.Later, Clyde.Oh, and tell her I appreciate her coming to our practice.She's welcome anytime.The other girls don't mind."Dana said, before waving bye and going off to somewhere.Leah did a little salute, to which Clyde returned and was off.Clyde looked at the back of his station wagon.

 

"Enjoy the ride, Max.You look like you need it."Clyde said, closing the hatchback and driving off away from the school.


End file.
